


Fade Into You

by demonjeans



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Character Death, M/M, Or not, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8546002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonjeans/pseuds/demonjeans
Summary: They’re falling. Forever and an instant. The impact knocks the air out of his lungs and the world cuts to black.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NerdyAdjacent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyAdjacent/gifts).



> I lost a bet and was given this prompt sooo... this is all NerdyAdjacent's fault. Totally. <3

It’s cold. So fucking cold. If Seth knew how awful a week of camping was going to be he would’ve argued against it. Dean on the other hand was having the time of his life trudging through the woods and playing nature man. It’s not as though Seth didn’t like the outdoors, just in bite sized manageable pieces. Waking up in an ice cold tent was not one of those pieces.

“This sucks so much.” Seth grumbles curling tightly around Dean for warmth. 

Dean just smiles, gives him a peck of a good morning kiss. “I dunno, think this is pretty nice.”

“Can’t believe I agreed to a week of this.” He sinks under their shared blankets hiding his face against Dean’s chest.

“You weren’t complaining last night by the fire, or the night before. Won’t tonight, either.”

“You’re such an ass.”

It’s hard to stay annoyed at Dean. This hadn’t been all bad, not that he’d admit it. Being all alone with the man he loves and pulling him aside whenever Seth decided they needed a break or quick make out session. Along with that there was something else, something he didn’t want to think to heavily about. But Seth knew. 

It started when Dean snatched his backpack out of Seth’s hands when he was digging around in it for a protein bar. Dean looked anxious and Seth was totally baffled at first. Now he was just waiting and hoping, then quickly dismissing the idea. At least it was a distraction during the less enjoyable parts of hiking. 

They had been dating for three years, lived together for two. The idea of getting married floated around a few times but never lead to any real discussion. So it sat on the backburner, something for the future, maybe. And while he might’ve preferred nice night out kind of proposal he really shouldn’t have expected anything different. Go out to the middle of the fucking woods, make Seth miserable and cold, then ask if he’d want to spend the rest of his life with this ridiculous idiot.

Of course he’d say yes.

But Dean hadn’t asked yet and Seth began wondering if he was just making all of this up in his head. He’s barely paying attention when Dean lightly shoves him making Seth stumble into a tree.

“What the hell?” He glares at Dean who gives him a wide grin.

“You’re it.”

“Are you serious?”

“C’mon.” 

“I’m not gonna chase you through the woods.”

“So you forfeit?” Dean darts his tongue out in challenge.

Seth crosses his arms keeping a steady stance.“I’m not playing.”

Dean gives a melodramatic sigh and shakes his head. “Shame. Forever it. What a lonely place to be.”

It’s probably a bad idea to be wildly running after each other through the forest. But it’s also a lot of fun and he’s forgotten how fast Dean can be when he wants. The man’s made of legs, which makes it easy to send him toppling over when Seth catches him. Dean grabs him by the straps of Seth’s backpack as he falls backwards. The laughter on Dean’s face suddenly turns to surprise and shock as the terrain underneath them gives way. 

And they’re falling. Forever and an instant. The impact knocks the air out of his lungs and the world cuts to black. 

It’s dark and Seth can barely breathe. Above him he can see where the two of them fell and groans in pain. It’s so high up it’s amazing they aren’t in pieces. Except… 

“...Dean?” He shakily sits up, pain in his ribs burning hot.

Dean lays sprawled out slightly on his side from his backpack. He isn’t moving, can’t tell if he’s even breathing. Seth drags himself over apparently hurting his leg in the fall but he doesn’t care, needs to get to Dean.

“Dean? Hey, please…” He reaches out gently cupping Dean’s face. 

A stuttered short breath feels like a godsend. The agony in Dean’s eyes rip it right from him. 

“Fuck… fu- AH” Dean gasps out when he tries to move then immediately falls still. 

He doesn’t know what to do. Panic is starting to edge it’s way in but Seth fights it back. From how they fell Dean seems to have taken the brunt of the impact. An apology spills from his lips as he looks over the other man. Broken and bleeding, his body is contorted in an odd angle that he wants to fix but hesitates. Dean isn’t moving other than breathing and he’s worried he’ll do more damage. And that’s the scariest part. The realization setting in that something is really fucking wrong. 

“You’re gonna be fine.” He lies taking hold of Dean’s hand. Seth finally manages to get his own breathing under control, trying hard to keep focus. “I, uh- sat phone’s in your bag, right? I’ll call for help and things’ll be fine. Just fine.”

“Liar.” Dean coughs wincing terribly as he does. “I can’t… breathe… fuck.”

“Slow little breaths, ok? In and out.” 

His eyes flutter down to their hands obeying Seth's instructions. Slow easy breaths. "Feels numb... hands..."

"What?"

"Like needles." He mumbles. 

Seth's jaw tightens, eyes watering. Every little word of reassurance dying in his throat. This can't be happening. They were playing tag and Dean was being a snot and he was going to kiss him so damn hard afterwards. He'd spend the rest of the day pulling twigs out of his hair and Dean would just smile at him with a kind of silent promise for the night ahead. Seth would end up on Dean's lap by the fire and despite all the walking and annoying parts of camping he'd feel completely happy. Because it felt unreal, and he wondered how he could be so lucky.

None of that was going to happen today. 

Instead, Seth has to figure out how to get the phone from Dean's bag without really moving him. It takes a little time dragging himself over to the opposite side, now noticing that his leg is badly broken, but he can't risk reaching over Dean. His hands were numb but he still vaguely felt something. So Seth was going to take that as a good sign and there was no way he was going to fuck that up. Carefully he pulls at the backpack's zipper, peeling it back enough to peer inside. If only it was that easy.

"Still awake, Dean?" He asks receiving a quiet murmur in response. 

He exhales slipping his hand into the bag fingers brushing through the contents blindly hoping to stumble onto the phone. He freezes, feeling something hard underneath his fingers but it's not the phone. A small square shaped box. He was right. And it should be amazing but it just makes him want to yell. There isn't time to think about it, Dean needs help. What good is a fucking ring if Dean's not... 

Seth isn't going to go down that path. He isn't. 

He finds the phone dials in the number for help, his voice shaking while he moves back to face Dean. Seth needs to see him, needs to hold his hand again and tell him he's going to be ok. Dean's eyes are closed but he's still breathing and he'll take it. He rattles off everything he can to the operator, the screaming pain in his ribs making itself known with each breath but he ignores it. 

"You're bleeding..." Dean whispers.

Seth follows his gaze touching his the side of head. When he draws his hand back his fingers are coated in blood. 

"I don't feel it." He forces a smile that breaks a second later. "Help's on the way. They'll be here soon so I need you to stay with me, ok?" 

Soon probably meaning hours. It'd probably be dark before anyone would get to them. Which means it's going to get cold especially in this cave or whatever the fuck they've fallen into. So he needs to make a fire or something to keep Dean warm and how the hell is supposed to do that?

"In and out." Dean says watching him.

He's tearing up again. "You're not supposed to be comforting me, you're the one who's-" He can't finish the thought

"Gotta relax... Why I brought you here."

"Great job on that.” Seth says quickly and immediately wants to hit himself.

But Dean smiles, tired quiet laugh escaping him. "There you are." 

"I'm sorry. Just..." He swallows down a gulp of air. Lays down on his back beside Dean turning his head to face him. Wants to keep that smile on his face. “Remember the first time you made me go hiking? Fell off that log crossing the river."

"You were so pouty..."

"I was fucking soaked." A hint of a grin on his face. "Considered breaking up with you."

"Really?"

"For like, three solid minutes."

Laughing hurts. Breathing hurts. But Dean's looking at him with those same damn playful eyes just like this morning and it's enough to make Seth believe it's going to be ok. 

"You stayed over." Dean says, remembering the night following."Stole my sweater."

"You let me borrow it." Seth replies. "My clothes were wet."

"Never gave it back."

"You do know we moved in together. It's there."

"Never gave it back." Dean repeats and Seth bites his cheek to stop from laughing again.

He really wants to kiss Dean. Curl up in his arms like he'd been doing the past few mornings. The adrenaline is slowly starting to fade away and every ache rings out, telling him how bad the fall really was. 

“Still feel my hand?” Seth squeezes Dean’s fingers.

“Think so… Keep-” Dean pauses as though waiting for something. “My legs…”

“Help’ll be here soon.” He interrupts. "You’ll be ok. You just wait, we’ll be home soon and we are never going outside again.”

Dean’s fingers twitch in his hand and for a while they simply stare into each other’s eyes. Seth wants to tell Dean that he loves him but the words would feel like an admission, that he was giving up. He’ll save it for when they’re home, Dean will be fine and kick him in his sleep like he always does. They’ll watch god awful 80s action movies and talk about how terrible they are while perfectly quoting their favorite lines. 

This will be some faded memory. A really shitty day that’ll leave some cool looking scars.

“You’re shivering.” Dean says. Of course he’d be the one worrying while he’s basically broken in half.

“Always cold, nothing new.” He responds despite his body’s protests.

“Wanna hold you…”

“You will.”

“Seth-”

“You will.” He says firmly nearly glaring at him because the second Dean starts to waver it’s over for the both of them. 

"So fuckin' stubborn."

"Damn right." He coughs, a tightness growing in his chest. "Wasn't for me you'd still be figuring out what to do after our third date." 

"I wasn't that bad."

"You were a gentleman, and completely clueless." 

"Didn't wanna scare you away." 

“Wasn’t gonna happen. Knew from the first night, cheesy as that sounds.” In and out. “Just clicked.”

"You're right." Dean eyes him. "Real fuckin' cheesy."

Seth doesn't hold back the laugh working it's way up his throat, a warm metallic taste running over his tongue.

"So," He swallows back the blood. "Found something in your backpack."

"Yea?" And Dean actually looks a little nervous which is so ridiculous considering the circumstances.

"...Is it what I think it is?"

"You didn't look?" 

"No, but is it?" He has to ask. His head is starting to throb making it a bit hard to keep focus. 

"Gonna have to wait to find out."

"Dean..." He grumbles. 

"I'm not asking you in a fuckin' cave."

"So you are gonna ask."

Dean blinks realizing his words and huffs a short breath. "...Goddamnit."

"You should ask-" He squeezes Dean's hand, his body temporarily seizing.

Before Dean can speak there's noise from above. Voices. Seth has never felt so fucking happy. Dean is going to be ok. Flashlights shine down above them and he smiles, teeth stained red.

"Seth? Hey, Seth?" Dean's voice sounds so distant. 

Seth just needs to rest his eyes a minute. He doesn't need to worry anymore. Dean's going to propose and Seth's will tell him yes and kiss him so damn hard. His grip loosens, limbs feeling heavy. In and out. When he wakes up they'll be in some hospital, maybe in the same room. He'll whine about never going camping again while Dean rolls his eyes at Seth. When he wakes up this will all be behind them. 

When he wakes up.


End file.
